Sustainability

Wyoming Nature Conservancy at Red Rock Ranch

Ward+Blake believes that architecture should respond to a particular place and be a natural partner with the environment. The firm’s designs evolve from an appreciation for pragmatic solutions that are relevant to our time and sustainable for the future. By working within the context of each projects environment, Ward+Blake applies sustainable strategies to enhance performance for each building type, budget, and project scope. Ward+Blake’s architecture conserves energy and natural resources, while creating high performance buildings with healthy environments for the buildings occupants.

Ward+Blake begins with the site characteristics and building envelope; searching out the practical, passive systems that have been used over centuries as related to the indigenous structures of the area. These historical methods of dealing with the bio-climatic environment can do a lot to reduce the energy load on a building. Then we begin to utilize more active systems such as ground source heat pumps, photovoltaics, etc. utilizing energy modeling to verify the effectiveness and cost efficiency of each solution. We help the clients to realize tax incentives that make alternative energy more appealing.

Earthwall II – Squirrel, Idaho

We are proponents of improving a buildings performance by reducing a projects carbon footprint, utilizing daylighting, providing good indoor air quality, and the use of materials that promote health and sustainability.